Fisher: Tie up your horse outside this antique store

Brock Rainis, 3, of Capistrano Beach visited the Old Barn Antique Mall in San Juan Capistrano sporting a cowboy hat. The shop had plenty of things to hold his interest. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

OLD BARN ANTIQUE MALL

Where: 31792 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano

Contact: 949-493-9144

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily

I enjoy things that are old and distressed – one reason I like looking in my mirror every morning.

But normally I speed up when I see a sign outside a store that says "Antiques." I don't even want to glance in the windows, because I know I can't afford anything there.

According to my Extremely Scientific Survey of several people I know, slapping the "antique" moniker on anything automatically doubles or triples the price.

Have you ever noticed that when you meet people and they speak with an Italian or French accent, they suddenly seem more attractive?

That's what happens with things you find in antique stores. Behind a dusty old barn, that pitchfork looked like rusty trash. But now that it's hanging on the wall of a store, it's a treasure worth $48.

In contrast, the sign I'm usually looking for when I'm on the hunt is one that says "Junk store," or maybe "Thrift shop."

I am willing, however, to make an exception for the Old Barn Antique Mall in downtown San Juan Capistrano, which sells thousands of items from $1 to $10,000.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must report that the place is not actually in an old barn, but it looks like one.

In Orange County, that's the same thing, right?

The building is authentically old – one of the first Spanish Colonial-style buildings in Orange County – with several past lives, including as a fish cannery and a garage with a blacksmith in the back. A large, open bay in front invites passers-by to stroll in and browse.

There's still a turn-of-the-century horse tie-up out front, next to the popular Swallows Inn and just around the corner from the city's iconic Mission San Juan Capistrano.

The shop gets a mix of tourists from all over the globe who are exploring the historic district, as well as locals who stop by to gossip and check the latest goods.

On a recent afternoon, I stood with owner Arthur Lichtenstein as he watched old Asian statuary carted in through the back door, destined for one prominent booth.

The store has 65 dealers, selling their wares in 65 booths and cases, in 10,000 square feet. A central sales desk rings up all the purchases. The dealers pay $4.50 per square foot for their displays, and 15 percent of their sales to Lichtenstein and his wife, Sandy, who have owned the place since 2000.

The Lichtensteins want everything sold in their shop to be "antique" – meaning it should be at least 100 years old – or "vintage," which things are considered when they hit age 30. I'm somewhere between those two appellations.

Brock Rainis, 3, of Capistrano Beach visited the Old Barn Antique Mall in San Juan Capistrano sporting a cowboy hat. The shop had plenty of things to hold his interest. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Old Barn Antique Mall in San Juan Capistrano boasts a rich collection of Old West, Americana, European, and mid-century treasures. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Antique dolls are for sale in one of the countless stall at the Old Barn Antique Mall in San Juan Capistrano. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A ceramic Elvis is displayed behind glass at Old Barn Antique Mall in San Juan Capistrano. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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